A long winded story from a fat boy...
Here we go again, minimal training to do this crazy event. Every year i told myself it will be the last marathon even though i dream about doing 100 marathon in my lifetime. Every time i receive the email on the event about early bird registration i forget about all the pain i had in the past, struggling towards the end of run and overcoming ITBS.
People who knows me know that i can do a marathon. But how many actually know the real reason?
The reason is simple. To prove that a person who used to weigh 150kg, with flat foot, who refuse to be posted into PES C and opt for PES BP, more importantly... I'm not weak. I'm only as strong as how much i can push myself.
To me, Marathon is easy. Probably because this is not my first, i am used to the distance i guess. To be frank, i have not actually ran a full marathon. I do walk. quite a bit of walking. So far i know my limit is about the 30km mark without stopping but it was a significance improvement. Do you know that for my first marathon i can only run about 10km non stop? then as i progress i finally manage to hit a PB of 2:15 for half marathon without stopping. Thats when i knew i can keep pushing the limit if i keep trying.
So fellow flat footer and obese mates, I had a dream, I made it happen. If i can do it, so can you. You don't have to run marathon like me to lose weight, in fact it doesn't help. I started running in army. Back then, in Tekong, it was really boring at night. I have nothing to do. I run 2.4km in about 30min. I was depress and have low self esteem. However i saw some of my bunkmates are motivated. They starting exercising on their own after the days hardcore training.
Soon i join in. I started with simple static exercise like jumping jacks, push ups, sit ups, etc. Then i progress on to slow jogging. I remember one day i did like 7km just running rounds in front of the Kestrel Coy line. That was the first time i did something more then 2.4km. It was a painful 1h20min but it felt great.
Soon, weight lost come package with the distance. Within the 15 weeks in tekong i lost about 23kg. Join my Unit and it happens that one of the Sgt ZiWei was talking about running Marathon. I'm not very sure what got into me, but after that i joined my first marathon which happens to the the First Sundown marathon. It was a painful experience but i did finish it. Soon i'm addicted to improve myself. SGRunner forum, joining SAFRA MF running club, Buying tonnes of shoes and even went to customize a pair.
It was soon when i realize its not about the gear, its about the consistency of training.
However joining the workforce, especially in my industry proves to be tough for a decent training plan. My work itself felt like training everyday. Seriously! I lost 7kg within 2 month working in DB. It was tough but i loved it!
Now with only about5-6km of weekly mileage, i attempt the sundown marathon. It wasn't too bad. Chip time was 06:27:47. Just 6 month ago i did Standard Charted '10 in 06:19 and that was with an average of 30km weekly mileage and 2 month of full time training during october and november.
Anyway here are some picture i took along the way...
Yes, sleep can wait for now...
The first 10km was a breeze. I'm sure even without training i can easily do any 10km event. My job is the training hahahaa... 7:11 min/km pace. This was way too fast, i need to slow down. 
20km mark was not too bad. Still feeling very comfortable through out the run. Except for the fact some of the BBQ over there makes me hungry. I slow down for a 8:35 min/km pace to make sure i can pull thru the next 10. 
This is where the lack of mileage began to take its toll. Once here i slowed to a 9min/km pace and lost the 6h pacer group...
It was pure mental strength that push me towards 42km. 6:27:47. Decent timing considering a 6km/week average mileage after work plus a little swim and gym on my off days... I guess working in DB really helps hahaha... If only i can squeeze in more run time after work which is pretty crazy in the first place to run after work. 
After crossing the finishing line, the only thing i can think about is... Zzzzz....
Shirt design for this year wasn't that bad, in fact Sundown in general is always better then StandChart in this aspect. 
Medal :) I love collecting scrape metal!Base on past experience, i had a good hydration plan and timing to consume energy gel. I also have a plan for sodium intake which is how i stay cramp free and injury free. Running after having a bad cramp is really painful and leads to more serious injury. Very important to listen to your own body.
Moral of the story: If I can do it so can you. Believe in yourself! Of course mistakes will be made along the way but make an effort to learn from it rather then repeating it.
I miss my marathon buddies... Clifford and Calvin... Where the bloody hell are you?
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